The Portland Collection: Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest, Revised Edition

For this ninth printing of The Portland Collection, the electronic files were completely recreated to make them compatible with today's computers. While there are no changes to the music in the book (other than the correction of a few notation mistakes), this update provided the opportunity to make some improvements in formatting. There are 7 titles changes (incorrect in prior printings). Alternate tune settings and chords are now on the same page as the original tune rather than in the Notes on the Tunes section in the back of the book. As a result of these two changes, the order of the tunes and pagination is different from earlier printings. The basic information about the book remains the same and follows below.

The Portland Collection: Contra Dance Music in the Pacific Northwest is a collection of 318 traditional and recently composed jigs and reels played for dances in Portland, Oregon. National standards and local favorites are included. The music derives from New England, Irish, Scottish, Quebecois, Appalachian, and English sources, all of which are included in the book. Chord suggestions are provided. There is an extensive commentary on each tune. Discography, bibliography, indices, and more are included.

Since its original publication in 1997, The Portland Collection has become the standard for contra dance musicians all across the United States and has also become popular among fiddlers of many other genres. The book is praised for its clear, readable format; its sturdy covers and binding; its informative, entertaining commentary; and especially for the repertoire itself. This music is suitable for any acoustic instrument. Beginners and accomplished musicians alike will find tunes that match their skill levels in this book.

There are two companion recordings for this book. On A Portland Selection 2 editors Susan Songer and Clyde Curley, joined by fiddler George Penk, play a representative cross section of the music in the book using a variety of tempos, harmonies, and other variations on the music. A Portland Play Along Selection is a 2-disc album of 97 tunes from both of the Portland Collection books engineered for ease of playing along. Fiddler Betsy Branch joins Clyde and Susan on this recording. Both of these recordings are for sale elsewhere on Amazon.com.